Unforeseen Consequences
by RosarioTijeras
Summary: The Tri-Wizard Tournament, originally intended to strengthen and promote friendship, has alienated one wizard from all his friends and classmates. He is alone once again. However, one Slytherin has big plans for him...
1. Beginnings

Harry let out a frustrated sigh as he stared into the surreal calm of the Black Lake. Just a few hours ago, he was happily eating while discussing his Transfiguration essay with Hermione, and now he was a friendless outcast. Once again his year had taken a turn for the worse, and this time a flaming cup was the culprit. Yes, the famed Goblet of Fire had regurgitated his name and for some reason, that constituted a magically binding contract forcing him to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Said tournament was abolished centuries ago due to the fact that _all_ the champions died... in the first event. So after such a 'devastating tragedy' the ministry officials decided it might not be a good idea to continue. But for some harebrained reason, they were introducing the 'New and Improved!' Triwizard Tournament with a few safety precautions sprinkled in for good measure, but Harry didn't hold much faith in the ministry these days.

He really should have known better though. Every year on Halloween something happens that inadvertently changes his life. This year it seems he's lost his only close friends and scorned by the rest of the student population as well as the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang representatives. He let out a dark chuckle at his predicament. Essentially, he was hated by almost every student in three different schools. He wasn't sure if he should be depressed or proud.

Harry was interrupted from his thoughts when he noticed that he was no longer alone. A girl wearing Slytherin robes was sitting next to him, watching him. "You really need to work on your situational awareness, Potter."

Harry turned his head to face his companion and scowled "And you need to work on your tact Greengrass. Is it not evident that I want to be alone? I need to plan my next nefarious plot to garner more fame and glory after all."

Daphne let out a laugh "Oh please Potter, you couldn't plan a trip to the bathroom, let alone nefarious plots with visions of grandeur!"

Harry started laughing as well at her retort. He and Daphne had this strange sort of relationship. He wouldn't call her a friend per se, but they were friendly... in a caustic and biting kind of way. It started in second year when Snape had seen fit to make him pair off with her in class. Apparently he noticed his social awkwardness around the opposite sex, and that added to that the natural animosity between all Slytherins and Gryffindors... well needless to say that Harry didn't do very well in potions for quite a while. However, though she may have been cold and callous at first, she eventually warmed up to him and let him see the real Daphne. He was still trying to decide if that was a good or a bad thing.

The real Daphne was a very cynical and slightly cruel girl with a sharp wit and venomous sense of humor. Although abrasive, she held incredible intelligence and wisdom that far surpassed her years. She was exceptionally witty and Harry enjoyed the challenge to keep up with her. Daphne always seemed to keep him on his toes and encourage him to do better.

Harry shook himself from his reverie "So are you here to ask how I did it? Can't stand the thought that I got to tamper with a glorified cup?"

She scoffed at him "You give yourself far too much credit Potter. The Goblet is an incredibly complex and unpredictable work of magic. There's a reason the only thing Dumbledore could do was draw an age line around it."

He arched an eyebrow at her "Oh? And what makes you the expert on such an enigmatic magical artifact?"

She rolled her eyes and stood up "I'm hardly an expert. Even the most oblivious simpleton could find that information in the library." She offered a hand to him which he took "Honestly Potter, try to use that brain of yours for once."

He chuckled as they made their way back to the castle "And what if I did trick the Goblet? What if I'm secretly a magical genius and saw this tournament as an opportunity to seize more glory?"

She hit him in the arm playfully "Stop overestimating yourself Potter. You're not a fame-whore like Weasley and your certainly not a show off like Granger. You and I both know that you'd be happy to just sit back and let someone else get the excitement this year."

Harry frowned at this. Why did this Slytherin girl, whom he wasn't that close with, know him better than his dorm mates and his best friends? They walked in silence while he pondered this until they reached the point in their journey in which they had to separate. Daphne merely nodded at him and turned to walk toward her dorm but before she could get too far away, Harry grabbed her wrist.

She turned around, an expectant look on her face. Looking into her violet eyes for a moment, he offered up a quiet 'thank you'.

She smiled at him "Anytime Potter, and if you ever feel the need for an intelligent conversation, or Slytherin's perspective on things, you know where to find me."

He watched her turn and walk down the corridor before disappearing into another hallway leading to the dungeons. Harry stood there for a few more moments before reluctantly making his way up to his own dorm, hoping the everyone was already asleep.

– UC –

Daphne was absolutely ecstatic. She had been mentally jumping for joy ever since Potter's name was drawn by the Goblet, and the whole school turned against him. This alone would have worked to her advantage, but when his friends exploded on him during breakfast yesterday, it was almost too perfect. Potter was isolated and scorned by everyone in the school and even his best friends had accused him of foul play, no doubt invoking a deep feeling of betrayal in the poor boy. Oh yes her goals just got that much easier to reach. She had talked to him last night and gave him her offer of comfort and support. Now all she had to do was hope he took her up on it.  
Daphne shook herself from her thoughts and observed the Great Hall. It was supper time and as such, most of the student body was present and happily eating away and enjoying lively conversations with friends. Almost all of the foreign students had acclimated to Hogwarts life and were actively socializing with each other and the new friends they made. As she scanned the Gryffindor table, she noticed a certain pair of be-speckled green eyes looking at her. Potter quickly averted his gaze and started talking with the boy sitting across from him.

A swift slap to the back of her head caught her off guard as her friend, Tracey Davis, huffed at her. "I was talking to you; and stop glancing around! You know the rules; no plotting at the dinner table."

Daphne glared at the brunette girl sitting next to her. Tracey was taller than her and well endowed in the right places, but her dark and twisted sense of humor scared most people off. Her eyes were a warm brown and her voice was like a rich and smooth chocolate. She practically dripped sensuality but her sadistic nature was enough to keep unwanted affections away from her. She was quite the interesting person but then again, so was Daphne.

Her midnight black hair fell past her shoulders in gentle waves and framed her face nicely. She wasn't as curvy as Tracey but it suited her height and build. Her high cheekbones and strong jaw gave her an aristocratic look that almost resembled the Blacks and people frequently made rude comments about her mother's fidelity though she really couldn't care less. She barely remembered her parents to begin with and felt no special attachment to them. So what if she was an illegitimate child and her mother was a whore? It didn't change her circumstances either way so it wasn't worth her time.

Tracey slapped the back of her head again a bit harder this time "What did I say Daph? No plotting. And answer my question damn it!"

Daphne growled at her nickname and glared a her friend "I wasn't plotting Trace, I was pondering." she shot back, enjoying the girl's frustration with her own nickname "And what was so important that you had to interrupt me from it?"

Tracey poked her in the arm with her fork making her yelp in pain "Next time you tune me out, I'll draw blood." she threatened. "As I was saying, I know you and Potter talk and are on somewhat friendly terms, so I wanted you to ask him if Longbottom was seeing anyone."

Daphne stared at her incredulously "You want me... How old are you Tracey? Ten?" She shook her head in disbelief before she realized exactly whom her friend was talking about "And _Longbottom_? Really?"

The brunette narrowed her eyes dangerously at her "Keep talking like that and see if you live through the night. And yes Longbottom. It's just so cute how he's shy and innocent. I just want to break him and turn him into my little plaything."

Daphne firmly face-palmed at her friend's explanation. "You're kind of sick in the head, you know that? And no, I won't be your little messenger. If you really want Longbottom as your boy toy, then that's entirely up to you."

"Oh come on Daph, I just want to make then hunt a little more interesting" Tracey pouted.

She rolled her eyes at her "No and that's final. You want Longbottom? Go ask him yourself. There's a Hogsmeade weekend this month so ask him out."

Her friend's eyes took on a mischievous glint "Is that a challenge dear Daphne? Then I propose a wager" Daphne merely raised an eyebrow and gave her an annoyed glare. "If I manage to get Longbottom to get to Hogsmeade with me, then you have to ask Potter as well."

Daphne's eyebrows rose to her hairline in surprise. She hadn't expected this. She had hoped to get Potter to ask her himself but she wasn't adverse to asking him instead. And that was assuming Tracey managed to get Longbottom to go with her at all. She may be sly and ambitious but she was absolutely devoid of subtlety. Daphne expected her to scare the skittish Gryffindor boy away. Either way though, Daphne won.

Shooting Tracey and amused glance she answered "Sure, go for it."

Her friend gave her a triumphant look before abruptly standing up and sauntering over to the Gryffindor table.

Dahne pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. _'Not a subtle bone in her body...'_

– UC –

Harry was sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table while chatting with Neville. He had run into him in the common room last night and the two had a fairly long discussion. Neville simply asked Harry if he put his name in the Goblet and accepted his answer without any hesitation. He was bewildered at his dorm mate's trust in him and decided to take some time to talk to him. It wasn't anything profound, mostly school related, but Harry quickly learned that Neville was incredibly knowledgeable in regards to Herbology and Potions as well. Unfortunately he lacked the practical skill with latter and therefor performed rather poorly in class.

Harry felt slightly guilty that he never took the time to get to know Neville until now but he resolved to make up for it. He was roused from his thoughts as he noticed a brunette in Slytherin robes walking towards him and Neville. She was swaying her hips slightly as she walked and wore a small seductive smile. Harry thought she looked positively ravishing and chuckled when she tapped the oblivious Neville on the shoulder.

The poor boy turned around and squeaked in suprise when he saw Tracey Davis giving him a sexy and slightly predatory smile "My, my Longbottom you are quite the cute little Gryffindor. I do hope you are not currently seeing anyone are you?"

Poor Neville gaped like a fish, desperately trying to find his voice. Giving up, he simply shook his head in response. Tracey's smile widened as she grabbed his tie and pulled his face closer to hers. "How very fortunate for you my dear Neville. For this upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, you get to escort me through the town. You will meet me here in the Great Hall and be ready to go by three o'clock. Understand?" Neville nodded dumbly and she cupped his cheek with her free hand "That's a good boy. I look forward to it" and with a wink she left.

Harry chanced a glance at Daphne and saw her shaking her head in exasperation. He gave her a small amused smile before turning to back to his friend "You okay there Neville?"

He looked back at Harry with stunned disbelief written all over his face "D-did Tracey Davis just ask me out?"

Harry let out a hearty laugh "Sounded more like she demanded it to me." He shook his head and clicked his tongue "Well Neville, it was nice knowing you. Ill speak at your funeral if you want."

He just nodded his head in ascent not really comprehending what has happening. Harry looked back to Daphne who was pinching the bridge of her nose and laughing softly to herself. He had forgotten about the upcoming weekend in all the excitement of Halloween. Maybe he should follow Tracey's lead and ask someone to accompany him to the small wizarding village.

– UC –

**.::AN::. Well hey there everyone. Sorry for the long absence but after my dad passed away I kind of got distracted and various other things caused me to drift away but after all this time I came back and read through this story. I barely made it to the end :/ **

**I'm scrapping what I have and I'm gonna post a re-written chapter every week (hopefully)  
No worries for the same concept and basic plot will remain the same but I wanted to make somethings more believable and introduce a few ideas as well. I hope this new version suits your tastes  
If I disappoint you then i'm sorry and I thank you for reading my first attempt at a fanfiction **

**until next time**

**~Rosario**


	2. A New Old Acquaintance

Daphne Greengrass was not a happy witch and was, in fact, furious. That insufferable daddy's boy, Malfoy, had the _nerve_ to demand she go to Hogsmeade with him. It seems Tracey's little fiasco in the Great Hall was noticed by the slimy little ferret, and it gave him a few bright ideas. Everyone seemed to jump out of her way as she stormed through the corridor leading to her Potions class; however a certain blond Slytherin, completely oblivious to the mortal peril he was throwing himself into, stepped in front of the murderous girl. "There you are Greengrass. I wanted to let you know that we'd be meeting outside the the Great Hall just before lunch. I fig-"

Daphne withdrew her wand and banished him half way across the corridor before heading to class once more. She didn't want waste any more time than was strictly necessary on Malfoy and his games. The next time he _demanded_ something of her, she would put him in his place. As it were, she harbored no desire to be late to class and picked up her pace. It was Friday and she hadn't been able to make and further contact with Potter. What's more was that he and Longbottom seemed to be getting closer. While not entirely detrimental to her plans, she would have preferred to be the only one Harry depended on. Still, she couldn't find it in herself to be too upset. She figured it might do Harry well to have a male friend he can relate to and it least she could deal with Longbottom by sicking Tracey on him. She'd rather not have to resort to something so drastic, but sometimes sacrifices had to be made. Hopefully it never came to that.

Daphne was so engrossed with her scheming that she didn't notice the two gorillas standing in her way and walked head first into Goyle, who simply stood there expressionless. She looked over to the other gorilla (Crabbe) leering at her and had his arms crossed in front of hist chest trying to look intimidating. She felt violated just by the way he was looking at her, but Goyle showed no interest at all. He just stood there emotionless and unmoving. His eyes were pale and lacked any signs of cognition behind them and that scared her more than the other two hormonal boys. She took a hesitant step back and heard Malfoy approaching her from behind. She turned to see the blond boy seething and about to open his mouth to vomit threats about his wealth and father no doubt. Daphne decided to distract him with a swift fist to his face while simultaneously drawing her wand and sending a swelling hex at Crabbe's neck. While he struggled to breath, she sent a stunner towards Goyle.

After the immediate threat had passed, she walked over to Malfoy who was rolling on the ground in moaning in pain. "Let's get one thing clear ferret. You do _not_ demand anything of me. Your father's wealth and influence may give you dominance over the rest of Slytherin, but you would do well to remember that _I_ am just as wealthy and influential as your father." she narrowed her eyes dangerously "If I so desired it, I could have all of Slytherin under my thumb, but pining against a spoiled little boy for dominance over a group of school children is beneath me."

She turned to leave but he blond boy had other plans "You arrogant little bitch!" he raged. "How _dare_ you threaten me!"

Daphne hit him with a binding curse and kicked him in the ribs. "A mere threat? No Draco, you've pushed your luck a little too far this time." She knelt down and pinched his obviously broken nose letting him scream in pain. "In time, you will learn to fear and respect me." She stood up and released him from his binds. "For your sake, I hope it's sooner rather than later."

Turning around, she caught sight of an unconscious Crabbe and Goyle lying haphazardly in the middle of the corridor. Daphne walked over to Crabbe and revived him "And as for you, if I ever catch you looking at me like that again, I'll ensure that you are incapable of producing an heir." she pointed her wand south to get her point across. "Understood?" His eyes never left her wand as he nervously nodded. "Good. Now take the ferret over there to the infirmary. It seems he was clumsy and fell down the stairs." She shot a glance to the blond boy lying on the floor clutching his side "Isn't that right Malfoy?"

"Fuck you, bitch!" he growled.

She turned to Crabbe and gave him a threatening glare "Isn't that right?"

He looked nervously between her and Draco before nodding quickly, sputtering an apology. She smiled a vicious smile as he gathered Malfoy and hurried away. Her smile faded as she looked at the still unconscious Goyle. Something definitely wasn't right about him, but she had no idea what it might be. Right now her only option was to simply observe him and hope for more hints she could use to figure this little puzzle out.

Sighing to herself, she revived him and waited to see what he would do. Naturally, she was slightly surprised when he didn't do anything. He just stood there, as unmoving and emotionless as before.

Daphne arched an eyebrow, mildly perplexed "Well? Aren't you going to class?" Nothing. Still no reaction whatsoever. She stood there contemplating what to do when an idea struck her. "_Imperio._"

Instantly her vision clouded and she stumbled backwards. She felt the connection between herself and Goyle but something was wrong. In her minds eye, she could see a slithering black shape twisting and wriggling violently. It was oozing malice and disciplined fury as it leeched off of a small colorless orb. The two entities were obviously locked in a battle for control, and it looked like the orb was on it's last leg. Suddenly, the black parasite lashed out at her and a wave of nausea surged through her. That entity felt so wrong, so twisted and evil, that she gasped in fear. It was obvious that this abomination was the thing affecting Goyle and the small flagging colorless orb was in fact Goyle.

Daphne prided herself on her indomitable will but she was hesitant about diving head first into this conflict without knowing the possible ramifications. She decided that the possible rewards outweighed the possible consequences and focused all her will into ousting the black parasite. Meanwhile, The two Slytherins simply stood there staring at each other in the middle of the hallway, neither of them giving the slightest hint of the raging battle.

As she fought, she noticed something burning its way through Goyle's skin around his finger through her hazy vision. A ring had made itself visible and was exuding dark magic. Her breathing and heart rate quickened as she the battle of wills carried on. It was a battle between the black leech like presence and her own violet colored will. The colors clashed and collided in brilliant explosions like fireworks on the Fourth of July. The battle was getting harder and the parasite was beginning to get desperate desperate for control. She was getting tired but before she knew what was happening, Goyle's will seemed to disappear and she felt herself getting stronger. She pushed harder against the foreign presence with renewed vigor in the final assault. Violet surrounded and engulfed the black will, systematically breaking it down and crushing it into nothing. She heard a screeching that that made here hair stand on end as the ring broke in half and fell to the floor. Immediately, she withdrew and looked at Goyle, panting heavily. He still just stood there but there was a hint of life behind his eyes this time.

He regarded her for a moment before finally speaking "Impressive" his voice emotionless and his face impassive. "On to class then?"

Daphne furrowed her brow "What the hell was that? Goyle, are you alright? You seem kind of..."

"I may have sacrificed my personality to help you but my will is my own." he answered with an indifferent shrug. "Class now, talk later. We are late enough as it is."

She stared at him incredulously as he started walking to the Potions classroom. After a few steps he stopped and looked over his shoulder "Are you coming?"

She shook her head in bewilderment and caught up with him. They walked in silence for a while before Goyle spoke gain "Greengrass, thank you."

She merely nodded and the pair continued to walk in silence.

-UC-

As they entered the classroom, Snape merely pointed to the board with the assignment on it without looking up from his desk. Daphne took her seat next to Harry and, Goyle sat down in the empty spot next to Parkinson. She notice Tracey, who was sitting _very_ close to Longbottom, looking over her shoulder at her expectantly. Daphne mouthed the word 'later' to her friend and began helping Harry with his potion.

After a few minutes of silently working together, Harry spoke "So, decided to grace me with your presence after all, Greengrass?"

She gave him a sidelong glance "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were looking forward to seeing me Potter."

He chuckled at her as he added crushed caterpillars to the cauldron "Well I guess you don't know any better then." He looked at her and gave her an honest smile before whispering "I figured out what the first task is going to be, and I figured it might boost your ego if I asked you for help."

Daphne looked at him in surprise before smiling to herself. This was a pleasant development indeed. Not only did he desire her presence, but he also looked to her for assistance in regards to the tournament. Things were falling into place as far as Harry was concerned, but the issue with Goyle bothered her. What the hell was that ring, and who gave it to him? She chanced a glance at the boy behind her. He was silently working with speed and efficiency that quite obviously had Parkinson beyond confused. He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow at her before getting back to work. She would definitely have to confront him and have her questions answered.

Harry interrupted her thoughts with a nudge "You alright?"

She had been frowning and she didn't answer his question "Sorry, just a lot to think about right now." She flashed him a smile and an idea struck her "Tell you what. How bout I tell you all about it, you tell me about the first task, and we can discuss it over a couple of butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks tomorrow."

He looked surprised before smirking at her "Ms. Greengrass, are you asking me to accompany you to Hogsmeade?"

She gave him a seductive smile and whispered in his ear "Yes and hopefully this will be the first of _many_ times we'll share together."

At that moment, Snape announced the end of class and indicated where to leave their potion samples.

"Just be in the Great Hall with Longbottom tomorrow, okay?" Daphne winked at the slightly stunned boy next to him before quickly cleaning up and gathering her supplies. She left the classroom to catch up with Goyle before he could run off and escape her. "Alright Goyle, We need to talk."

-UC-

**.::AN::. Hey there everyone I just wanted to put a few things out there.**

**One – if you haven't noticed by now, this is going to be very AU. I intend to have four tasks instead of the original 3, and I've just established Goyle as a more important character and I have plans for the plot to diverge much more form the original. Seeing as we've all read the books, I figured some new ideas thrown in here and there would make it more bearable.**

**As always thank you for taking interest in this story and please let me know what you think.**

**See you next week**

**~Rosario**


	3. More At Work

**.::AN::.**** Yeaaaaahhhh it has been a while since an update hasn't... All I can do is apologize and hope this sates some of you. I will say that I have written half of the next chapter already (which will be MUCH larger to what I have been posting) but I won't make any promises on when it'll come out. (Probably a long time) Any way enough of my griping and may a present to you the brief next installment of Unforeseen Consequences**

**Enjoy  
~Rosario **

The two Slytherins walked in silence as they made their way to a private location. They found a seemingly abandoned corridor on the third floor with a single locked door. A quick _Alohamora_ later and they had a private room for some much needed explaining. Daphne drew her wand within a second and pointed it at Goyle, who simply looked at her in a disinterested manner. She felt she was woefully under prepared for this. She had no information on the Goyle family, and everything she had seen and learned of Gregory during their four years of school could almost definitely be discounted now. He was a wild card and, while not openly hostile, she had no idea what he would do when no potential witnesses were present. He continued to stand there staring blankly at her and waiting patiently for her to begin her interrogation.

She narrowed her eyes at him in an attempt to look intimidating "Alright Goyle. What the _hell_ was that little fiasco in the hallway earlier?"

"Well Malfoy had his heart set on taking you to Hogsmeade tomorrow. He met you in the hallway to confirm the time and meeting..."

Daphne jabbed her wand into his chest and glared at him maliciously "That's _not_ what I meant and you know it."

"Then I suggest you make your questions more specific in the future if you don't want people to dance around the answers." he shrugged before he started inspecting his hand where the ring had been. "Honestly I'm not entirely sure of the circumstances in how I came into possession of that ring. I remember it being a gift, but from whom and for what occasion I cannot recall. Perhaps a fail safe was put in place? In that case whomever it was, knew how to cover their tracks." He continued to stare at his finger "Or maybe my amnesia is a side effect of such prolonged exposure to that cursed ring." He let his hand drop to his side and looked Daphne in the eye "My point is, your guess is as good as mine."

Daphne glared at him. She liked to pride herself on her ability to quickly adapt and think on her feet but this was a bit much. Goyle, whom she had known for four years to be a drooling gorilla, was actually under the influence of a dark artifact and actually had a vocabulary consisting of more than grunts. How had she not noticed this before? Perhaps she should strive to be more perceptive, but for now she had a few more questions.

She lowered her wand but still held it firmly " Ok, ok I get it, but tell me how exactly the ring affected you from your perspective."

"Demanding information is not asking. Granted it may be direct and leave little room for skirting around but it lacks subtlety. You're not very good at this." he responded.

Daphne was getting irritated. She raised her wand again and growled at him dangerously "Just tell me before I hex you damn it! I have neither the time nor the patience for this right now!"

Goyle started walking around the room, inspecting the various items strewn about. "Threats, while effective, create a generally undesirable animosity between the one threatening and the threatened." He glance over his shoulder at the seething girl "You can do better than that Greengrass."

She was furious; absolutely and unequivocally furious, but he had a point. She wasn't getting the information she wanted and her anger was making her stupid.. Taking a couple calming breaths, she glared at Goyle "Point. Taken." He merely nodded at her with an expectant look on his face. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a few more deep breaths before continuing. "During that little battle of wills, what was the dark presence?" Daphne though she saw him smirk, but it was so small and gone so quickly she figured she must have imagined it.

"Now that wasn't so difficult was it?" Goyle turned to inspect a harp sitting in the corner of the room. "That presence called itself Riddle. I believe the ring was originally intended as a crude form of immortality. He tried to replace my own thoughts and feelings with his personality. A few changes were successful such as my increased intelligence, a few mannerisms, and a few imprinted desires, but for some reason the process was... halted." He struck a not on the harp and listened to it resonate through the room. "My theory is that my personality and Riddle's personality coalesced into one entity after your intervention."

Daphne stared suspiciously at him "Ok so assuming your theory holds merit, why did it leave you a drooling zombie?"

Her classmate shrugged "Perhaps it was a function of the artifact to render me mindless and susceptible to commands while it imprinted Riddle's personality."

Daphne began pacing while thinking out loud "Possibly but how would it differentiate between whose commands to follow? You weren't exactly doing everything you were told."

The two Slytherins thought in silence for a while. Goyle's theory was shaky at best but it was the only explanation they had at the moment. Perhaps that ring had a brother of sorts in the possession of the one giving the commands? She had seen rings that could be used to send simple messages between the two so perhaps something similar was at work here. However that would mean whomever was controlling him had to consciously send commands to make Goyle go to classes, meals, perform basic functions, etc. There must be more at work here. Daphne rubbed her temples as she felt an oncoming headache. This was a secondary issue for now. Right now she needed to decide what she wanted to do with the little ferret. Granted he was an annoying, spoiled, and egotistical daddy's boy, but the Malfoy name commanded respect for a reason. They would be a very potent enemy considering their resources. Ideally she would much rather have the Malfoy scion as an ally or at the very least a neutral party. And If she were completely honest, Draco wasn't as useless as she's like to think. As much as Daphne hated to admit it, he was definitely magically powerful, he was intelligent even if he was slightly lacking in common sense, and he could be very manipulative if the situation called for it. And then there was Potter. If she was going to ever hold more sway over him, she needed to introduce a new perspective. She had no doubts that the old fossil of a headmaster was feeding Potter all that horseshit about every Slytherin goes dark or that all those mean purebloods despise the poor oppressed muggleborns. Potter needed to see the truth and what better way to introduce a new perceptive than a little chat with Mafloy.

-UC-

Daphne walked with Tracey to the Great Hall to meet their dates for the day's trip. She examined her friend as the walked and notice a small smile on her otherwise neutral face. She wore a simple pair of jeans and a dark green sweater. Overall she looked fairly underwhelming but that was her prerogative. Daphne figured she didn't really have to do much to impress Longbottom. Just the fact that a girl had shown an interest in him was probably enough for the boy.

She herself had put forth more effort into how she looked. She wanted Harry to notice her as a girl and not just a classmate or friend. So she had applied some light makeup, let her hair down, and wore a dark purple shirt to accentuate her violet eyes. Not too much but then again, she was only fourteen and didn't have much to work with though she doubted Harry would care either way. He was sweet like that. Over the years she had learned quite a few things from observing him or conversing with him in Potions. Although he was a little too quick to judge and make assumptions, he was humble enough to admit when he was wrong. He adapted to new situations at an incredible speed. Harry Potter was a survivor. How could he not be after everything he'd been through? She looked over to Tracey again to see her nervously biting her lip. Daphne stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her friend in disbelief.

Tracey stopped as well and gave her a confused look. "What's wrong?"

Daphne merely ignored her and looked around cautiously as if expecting disaster to strike any second. Tracey huffed in annoyance "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Daphne looked at her suspiciously "Who are you and what have you done with Tracey?"

Tracey narrowed her eyes at her "I _am_ Tracey. Seriously, what's wrong with you? Did you slip and hit your head in the shower this morning?"

She took a step closer and pointed an accusing finger at her "_You_ are nervous. Tracey Davis does not get nervous."

Tracey stared at her blankly before a deep blush crept up her face. They stood there silently for a moment before Daphne burst out laughing and Tracey playfully punched her in the arm.

Daphne brought her into a hug and spoke softly "Tracey, I should think that you have no reason to be nervous. I'm positive Longbottom will be more than happy to spend the day on a date with you."

Tracey gave her a genuine smile and chuckled "I'm not nervous about that. I know Neville is beyond excited"

Daphne held her at arm's length and arched an eyebrow at her "Neville? You two are on given name status already?"

Tracey rolled her eyes at her friend and started walking toward the Great Hall once more. "Well unlike _you_, I've been spending time with the object of my affection all week." She smiled fondly "Neville is so sweet and such a gentleman. I've seen more kindness and nobility from him in the past week than I have my whole life. He brings out my softer side."

Daphne looked at her incredulously "_You_ have a soft side?"

Tracey slapped the back of her head for her insolence "Yes, believe it or not I _am_ human and have more emotions than just sadistic glee and fury." Her smile faded to a small frown "Though it's new to me as well..." She bit her lip again and turned to her friend "That's why I'm nervous Daph. I didn't plan on actually caring for him... at least not this much." She laughed to herself "I wanted to break him but it seems he's breaking me instead..."

Daphne looked at Tracey with a small frown "All this after just one week?"

"It's the fact I care at all that scares me." She gave her a sad smile "I don't care about people Daph, you know that. Remember that fight we had when I realized I cared about _you_?"

Daphne stretched her jaw remembering the indecent "I remember having to eat through a straw for a good two weeks while I regrew a shattered jaw and broke three knuckles." She saw Tracey smile remembering the fight between them during the end of second year. Daphne had been one of the unlucky few who were petrified. She was looking at a curios trail of spiders crawling out of a window when she saw a pair of beautiful yellow eyes reflecting in said window. The next thing she knew, she was in the hospital wing with Tracey standing next to her. Her fiend had silent tears running down her cheeks and before she could react, Tracey punched her as hard as she could, knocking her out cold. She woke up again a day later with her jaw charmed shut. While incredibly irritated at her, she knew what that punch meant and grudgingly forgave her. Tracey came by a few hours later to apologize which naturally turned into a rather heated, if not amusing, argument involving emotive words and the furious scratching of a quill on parchment. Thankfully after the dust settled, they were closer and much better friends for it.

Daphne brought her thoughts to the present as they neared the Great Hall. She looked over at Tracey to see her nervousness gone and replaced with a confident and sly smile. Daphne hoped she figured out a better way to express her feelings for Longbottom's sake. She herself was slightly nervous but that was because she asked Goyle to meet her at the Three Broomsticks to help explain his situation to Potter. She wasn't sure how Harry would react. On one hand he never had any direct interaction with Goyle, but he likely associated him with Malfoy. She groaned inwardly as she thought about the little ferret. She had a plan for him and Potter but it relied way to much on luck and she didn't like that. Draco could either be a very valuable ally or a very painful thorn in her side. She needed to impress the importance of this on Potter before the confrontation. She sincerely hoped it was possible for Harry and Draco to get over their petty animosity and at least tolerate each other. If she managed to pull this off, then knocking Dumbledore off his pedestal will be a piece of cake.

The two girls entered the Great Hall and approached their two boys sitting at the Gryffindor table. Tracey strode confidently over to Longbottom and sat down rather close to him. She whispered something to him apparently loud enough for both the Gryffindors to hear. The poor bow instantly turned a deep shade of red and started mumbling something to her earning a predatory smile in return. Daphne merely shook her head in amusement before looking over to Potter who could barley contain his laughter. She took a seat next to him and playfully hit his arm. Potter managed to compose himself and managed a hello. After a few minutes of talking their made their way to the carriages that would take them down to Hogsmede.

"I swear I didn't think they'd be able to change your skin color back for at least a week!" Potter exclaimed as he Longbottom and Tracey were reveling in a rather amusing anecdote from a Potions assignment gone wrong from earlier this week.

"I'm glad you found it so funny! Snape looked like he wanted kill me!" Longbottom retorted though he was smiling as well.

Tracey decided to join in the mocking "He wouldn't dare harm my pet! Though can't even begin to imagine how you managed to turn yourself purple while brewing a simple pepper up potion."

Potter tried to stick up for his friend a bit "To his defense, Snape was glaring at his cauldron like he expected Dumbledore to pop out of it any second."

Daphne laughed along, content to listen. She leaned ever so slightly on Potter and rested her eyes. It was enough to be noticeable. She wanted Harry in a good mood and on his good side before the met up with Goyle. Depending how he handles this will determine when and how she tries to break him and Malfoy out of their childish rivalry.

The carriage came to a halt signaling their arrival and four teens stepped out.


End file.
